Are you guilty? I am. Sometimes, anyway. And when I stop to think about it it kinda pisses me off.
It's like tipping at latte stands. When did that become a "have to" deal? Now, I tend to over tip at the stand I go to all the time. But the girls there are super nice and they have my coffee done as soon as they see me pull into the drive. So...I'm ok with that.
But what about when I go to a stand where I haven't been before? Habit says to give them a buck (or whatever) when they hand you your coffee. But I have to ask for straws. And a cup holder. And I haven't tasted it yet; what if they gave me "coffee" flavor instead of "toffee" flavor? What if they gave me whole milk instead of non-fat? What if they burnt the milk? Or it's just plain awful?
What got me yesterday is I went to Bruchi's. If you don't have a Bruchi's where you live, it's a pseudo-cheesesteak place. (I say pseudo because I don't know how "authentic" they are. They make a mean chicken and cheese sandwich, though!) And they had a jar on the counter by the cash register. It said "TIPS" and then in smaller letters it said "thanks!"
Tips? For what? I order at the counter. You take my money and give me change. Then the guy standing next to you makes my sandwich. Then you wrap it in paper and hand it to me. Then I leave.
Now, I appreciate a good sandwich, but tips? Again, for what? I don't tip the guy who makes my burger at McDonald's. And let's be fair - at Bruchi's you throw some chicken on the grill, put mayo and cheese on the bread, slap the chicken on top and you're done. The guy at McDonald's has to grill the burger, and the bun, and he's got "special" sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles and onions to remember! Plus he has to wear that gross uniform (I know, I used to work at a McD's back in the day)! Now who deserves the tip?
But there's no tip jar at McDonald's.
And really, it kind of offends me to see a big jar labeled "Tips" on the counter. 'Cause I'm back to the same problem I have at the coffee stand: what if the sandwich you make me sucks? Or it's the wrong one? It happens, you know.
Maybe places need to pay their employees decent wages so they don't feel the need to ask for tips. Or maybe it's really my fault, because I don't want to seem rude, or stingy. Maybe I just need to not give a darn.
What do you do?
